Sandal



Jan. 16, 1934.

H. KOOMRUIAN 1,943,829

SANDAL Filed April 3, 1933 Tizl.

INVENTOR HARRY KOOMRUIAN ATTO R N EY Patented Jan. 16, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application April 3, 1933.

Serial No. 664,074

2 Claims. (Cl. 38-115) This invention relates to sandals suitable for bedroom, bathroom and beach wear or for general use by children and young people in romping, hiking and other athletic pursuits.

The object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive strong and durable sandal which maintains its proper position on the foot, corrects simple toe deformities and permits proper development of the foot with perfect comfort to the wearer.

My sandal comprises a sole having either a flat or raised heel portion and an upper consisting of a strap or straps secured to the sole in such a way as to present a neat and attractive appearance and to hold the foot out of contact with all ridges, seams or other possible sources of irritation at the joints between the straps and sole.

The sandal which I shall use to illustrate my invention has a toe strap, an instep strap and a heel strap although the last two may be omitted as in a Chinese sandal. According to a feature of the invention the toe strap has its ends secured adjacent the inner and outer peripheral edges of the sole and is formed into a loop which 26 is secured to the sole and provides separate toe compartments after the manner of a toe post but affording a more flexible form-fitting division than a toe post.

In the preferred form of the invention the sandal has a top sole and a bottom sole. The top sole has a plurality of slits adjacent its peripheral edge and the straps constituting the upper part of the sandal are passed through these slits and turned outwardly toward the peripheral edge of the sole. The top and bottom soles are then joined together along the edge, preferably by a single line of stitches which also serve to secure the ends of the straps firmly between the soles. In this way the foot, resting on the top sole and snugly encased by the straps, is held clear of the stitches as well as the ridges or protuberances which necessarily occur at the points where the straps are clamped between the top and bottom soles.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sandal constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 0! Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The sandal shown in the drawing has a top sole 1, bottom sole 2, heel 3 and an upperportion 55 comprising instep straps 4 and 5, heel strap 6 and a toe strap '1 which is looped to provide separate toe engaging compartments 8 and 9.

The lower ends of instep straps 4 and 5 extend through slits 11 and 12 which are formed in the arch portion of top sole 1 adjacent the inner and outer peripheral edges thereof, the inserted ends of said straps being turned outwardly toward the adjacent peripheral edges of the sole as shown in Fig. 2.

Strap 5 carries buckle 13 for engagement with a hole or holes in strap 4, it being understood that the instep strap may be made inone piece without a buckle it desired. Heel strap 6 is attached to instep straps 4 and 5 in any suitable manner; for example, when straps 4 and 5 are made of double-ply material the ends of strap 6 may be inserted between the plies and secured by stitches as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The outer end of toe strap '7 is secured to instep strap 5, for example by being stitched between the plies of strap 5, while the inner end of said toe strap is passed through a slit 14 formed in the toe portion of top sole 1 adjacent the inner peripheral edge thereof. The end 0! strap 7 which is inserted through slit 14 is turned outwardly toward the adjacent peripheral edge of the sole as shown in Fig. 3. A longitudinal slit 15 is formed in the central toe portion of top sole 1 and toe strap 7 is formed into a loop 16 which is inserted into slit 15 and locked therein by pin 1'? which is longer than slit 15 and spans the slit in a longitudinal direction. The pin-is preferably slipped through the loop from the under side of top sole 1 before the top and bottom soles are fastened together.

when the several straps are assembled in the top sole as described above, the top and bottom soles are brought together and cemented and their peripheral edges are secured by stitches 18 which also pass through the outwardly turned ends of straps 4, 5 and 7 and lock said ends securely between the top and bottom soles as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The heel 3 is then preferably tacked on and the tack heads covered by heel piece 19 in the usual manner.

Sandals constructed according to my invention may be made of leather, felt, canvas, rubber, or other suitable material depending upon the purpose for which the sandals are to be used. The straps constituting the upper portion are preferably made of soft, pliable material and are cut to any desired shape, those shown in the drawing being wide enough to engage the toes, instep and heel quite snugly without cutting and being perforated to provide ventilation.

Toe strap 7, being made of a single length of material, is of course made long enough to provide compartments 8 and 9 of proper size, the former accommodating the big toe and the latter spanning the other toes and snugly engaging the outer front portion of the foot. The partition formed by loop 16 is only as wide as the double thickness of strap 7 and is pliable enough to accommodate itself to the shape of the big toe and the toe adjacent thereto and to yield with movements of the foot in walking, running, etc.

The edges of slit 15 in the toe portion of top sole 1 are held down securely by the cement and the slight ridge or bump caused by embedded pin 17 will necessarily lie directly above loop 16 and therefore between the toes and out of contact therewith. Slight ridges or bumps also occur in the top sole directly above the embedded ends of straps 4, 5 and 7, adjacent the peripheral edges of the sandal as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 but the straps hold the foot inside this marginal portion of the top sole and therefore out of contact with the ridges which might otherwise cause irritation or annoyance to the wearer.

Hence, my sandal may be worn with perfect comfort, corrects simple toe deformities such as are caused by tight-fitting shoes, and permits the feet of children and young people to develop in a natural manner.

In addition to being more comfortable than ordinary sandals, I find that my sandal is easier and cheaper to construct because it is a simple cutting and stitching job and, except for cutting the straps to predetermined size, involves no more labor than is required to secure a top and bottom sole together.

It will be evident that my invention is capable of various modifications and adaptations without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A sandal comprising a top sole having a slit adjacent the inner peripheral edge of the toe portion and slits adjacent the inner and outer peripheral edges of the arch portion, a bottom sole, an instep strap having its ends extending through the slits in the arch portion of said top sole and turned outwardly toward the peripheral edge of said soles, a toe strap having one end secured to said instep strap and the other end extending through the slit in the toe portion of said top sole and turned outwardly toward the peripheral edge of said soles, said toe strap being formed into a loop and having said loop secured to said top sole to provide separate toe engaging compartments, and stitches securing the peripheral edges of said top and bottom soles together and securing the ends of said straps between said soles.

2. A sandal comprising a top sole having a slit adjacent the inner peripheral edge of the toe portion, a longitudinal slit in the body of the toeportion and slits adjacent the inner and outer peripheral edges of the arch portion, a bottom sole, a pin disposed between said top and bottom soles and spanning said longitudinal slit in a longitudinal direction, an instep strap having its ends extending through the slits in the arch portion of said top sole and turned outwardly toward the peripheral edge of said soles, a heel strap secured to said instep strap, a toe strap having one end secured to said instep strap and the other end extending through the slit adjacent the peripheral edge of said toe portion and turned outwardly toward the peripheral edge of said soles, said toe strap being looped under said pin and forming separate toe engaging compartments, and stitches securing the peripheral edges of said top and bottom soles together and securing the ends of said straps between said soles.

HARRY KOOMRUIAN. 

